Brushing – scrubbing – and general cleaning – Machines – With air blast or suction
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-26
2001-06-12
Moore, Chris K. (Department: 1744)
Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning
Machines
With air blast or suction
C015S321000, C015S339000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06243913
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a cleaning device comprising a cleaning liquid tank and a dirty liquid tank as well as a pump in flow communication with the cleaning liquid tank for spraying a surface to be cleaned and a suction unit for receiving the sprayed cleaning liquid and transferring it into the dirty liquid tank, wherein the pump and the suction unit are held in a separate housing which can be introduced into a frame of the cleaning device in the form of an insert.
Cleaning devices of this type are used, for example, in the form of spray extraction devices for the cleaning of carpeting and upholstered furniture. In this respect, a jet of cleaning liquid is directed against the surface to be cleaned by means of the pump, and subsequently the cleaning liquid is drawn in together with the dissolved dirt with the aid of the suction unit and transferred into the dirty liquid tank.
In general, the pump and the suction unit are each driven by an electric motor and are held on a frame of the cleaning device by means of screws. During maintenance and repair work it is necessary to unscrew the suction unit and, possibly, the pump as well from the frame and, in addition, to disconnect the electrical connection and control cables for the electric motors from the frame. This disconnection results at the same time in the pump being separated from the suction unit. Such a dismantling may be done only by qualified skilled personnel. Since the cleaning devices are often hired out by dry cleaning companies, maintenance and repair work of this type is particularly inconvenient since it entails considerable time and thus also substantial costs for the hire company since the device is not available for hiring to further customers during the maintenance and/or repair of the electrical components.
An additional disadvantage of customary cleaning devices of the type specified at the outset is the fact that they are linked to a considerable generation of noise. A mixture of air and dirty liquid is drawn in by the suction unit, and while the dirty liquid is being transferred to the dirty liquid tank the air drawn in is blown out into the atmosphere. This entails a blowing out noise which, normally, can be clearly heard and in combination with the motor noises of the pump and the suction unit results in a substantial generation of noise.
It is already known from NL-A-7 703 126 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,647 to arrange the pump and the suction unit in a housing which can be introduced into a frame of the cleaning device in the form of an insert. The cleaning liquid tank and the dirty liquid tank each have an access opening for filling and emptying, respectively. In NL-A-7 703 126 it is suggested that the housing accommodating the pump and the suction unit be inserted from above into an intermediate space between the two tanks. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,647 it is suggested that the housing be positioned above the two tanks on the frame of the cleaning device. Consequently, not only with the cleaning device known from NL-A-7 703 126 but also with the cleaning device described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,647 there is the risk of cleaning or dirty liquid coming into contact with the flow-guiding parts of the pump and/or the suction unit customarily driven be electric motors and so this can result in an interruption of the operation of the cleaning device.
The object of the present invention is to further develop a cleaning device of the generic type in such a manner that it is more service-friendly and less noisy and has a particularly high degree of operational safety.
This object is accomplished in accordance with the invention, in a cleaning device of the type specified at the outset, in that the-housing accommodating the pump and the suction unit can be introduced into the frame on the underside of the frame facing away from the access openings. In this way, it is ensured that the access for the pump and the suction unit is spatially separated from the access for the cleaning liquid tank and the dirty liquid tank. Whereas the housing accommodating the pump and the suction unit can be introduced into the frame on the underside of the frame facing away from the access openings, the access to the cleaning liquid tank and the dirty liquid tank is on the upper side of the frame facing away from the floor surface to be cleaned. As a result, contact with the cleaning liquid or the dirty liquid is avoided during the assembly of the pump and the suction unit which are normally driven by electric motors. This means a considerable increase in the operational safety of the inventive cleaning device.
The pump and the suction unit are encapsulated in a housing which can be separated from the frame of the cleaning device as a constructional unit. As a result, the maintenance and the repair of the cleaning device, like its production, are considerably simplified. For example, it is merely necessary, when the suction unit is out of action, to remove the housing configured as a constructional unit in the shape of an insert from the frame together with the suction unit and the pump and replace this with a substitute housing with a new suction unit and new pump. The removal and the introduction of the housing is very simple and can, therefore, also be done by non-skilled personnel. Particularly in the case of hire equipment, the time necessary for the maintenance and repair can, in this way, be kept very slight and as a result the costs incurred for the maintenance and repair of the cleaning device can be reduced.
The arrangement of the pump and the suction unit in a separate housing results, in addition, in a reduction in the noise of the cleaning device since the motor noises of the pump and the suction unit are not transmitted directly to the frame of the cleaning device but, first of all, to the housing surrounding them which can be introduced into the frame of the cleaning device in the form of an insert. The transfer of noise from the pump and the suction unit to the frame of the cleaning device and from this to the surroundings is therefore diminished.
It is particularly advantageous when the housing forms a flame-resistant plastic casing for the pump and the suction unit. As a result, the risk of an accident is clearly reduced since the components of the cleaning device which are customarily driven by electric motors and heat up during operation are separated by the flame-resistant plastic casing from the remaining components of the cleaning device.
It is of advantage when the housing forms a non-inflammable plastic casing for the pump and the suction unit.
A particularly good service-friendly operation can be achieved in that the housing accommodating the pump and the suction unit can be releasably connected to the frame, in particular, screwed to it. If the pump or the suction unit are intended to be exchanged for maintenance and/or repair work, only a few screws need by loosened in order to remove the housing with pump and suction unit designed as an insert from the frame of the cleaning device. Such an activity can also be carried out by a lay person who subsequently sends the insert removed for maintenance and/or repair, for example, to the producer of the cleaning device and inserts a replacement insert into the frame of the cleaning device and screws it thereto so that the cleaning device can be put into operation again after a short time.
During operation of the cleaning device, a mixture of air and dirty water is drawn in by the suction unit. In the dirty liquid tank, a separation of the entrained air from the dirty water normally takes place but it cannot be precluded with certainty that dirty water will reach the area of the suction unit with the air drawn in. In a particularly advantageous design of the cleaning device it is therefore provided for the housing to comprise a suction chamber for accommodating the suction unit as well as a pump chamber for accommodating the pump. As a result, the pump can be kept spatially separated from the suction unit in the housing so that it is ensured that the pump, in particu
Ernst Eugen
Frank Juergen
Losansky Alfred
Alfred Karcher GmbH & Co.
Lipsitz Barry R.
Moore Chris K.
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